MANASQUAN, NJ - Legendary Broadway actor Lee Roy Reams will appear on the stage of the Algonquin Arts Theatre Oct. 23 at 3 p.m., with The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea conducted by another Broadway veteran, Father Alphonse Stephenson.

There may not be a more appropriate voice for the concert, A Salute to Jerry Herman, as Reams played leading roles in two of Herman's best-known hits as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! and Albin/ZaZa in La Cage aux Folles. Reams also received a Tony nomination for Best Revival as director of Hello, Dolly!

"We are so fortunate to have such a renowned star of the stage in Lee Roy Reams to open our Orchestra Series," said Algonquin Arts Theatre executive director William Whitefield, who will also be one of the featured vocalists. "Lee Roy's credentials speak for themselves, and to pair that with Father Alphonse, we're excited to bring such great Broadway talent to our patrons at the Jersey Shore."

Reams, who won critical acclaim on Broadway as Roger DeBris in Mel Brooks' The Producers, has been called "Broadway's Darling" by columnist Liz Smith and "Broadway's song-and-dance man nonpareil" by The New York Times for his numerous leading roles in well-known hits which also include 42nd Street, Beauty and the Beast and the Lincoln Center revival of Oklahoma!.

Reams and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea will be joined on stage by veteran actors and singers Maria Zito-Kaufman, Susan Speidel and Whitefield.

A Salute to Jerry Herman will include favorites from the legendary Broadway composer & lyricist's best-known musicals, including several Tony, Grammy and Drama Desk award-winners. An extremely limited number of tickets are available online from the Algonquin Arts Theatre Box Office at algonquinarts.org or by calling 732-528-9211. All tickets subject to $2 processing fee.

Stephenson, a beloved maestro and founder the Festival of the Atlantic in Pt. Pleasant Beach, also brings Broadway credentials as the music director and conductor of Michael Bennett's smash hit, A Chorus Line, for more than 3,000 performances. Ordained a Catholic priest by the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., in 1975, he was recently promoted to Brigadier General and serves as a Chaplain and the Air National Guard Assistant to the Air Force Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon.

The concert launches the 10th consecutive season in which The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea is featured at Algonquin Arts Theatre. The Orchestra Series, sponsored by Novy & Associates and Manasquan Savings Bank, continues with two more concerts from Stephenson and his orchestra. The annual presentation of Viennese New Year will be Jan. 8 and the series concludes June 24 with the Victoria J. Mastrobuono Opera Series which will feature several of Victoria's favorite Arias and Overtures.

The Algonquin has even more for fans of Broadway from Dec. 1-4 with The 1940s Radio Hour continuing the Broadway Series with traditional 1940s music & dance and a live big band on stage as part of a musical telling the story of New York City's WOV's Christmas Eve broadcast in 1942.

Algonquin Arts Theatre was founded in 1992 as a nonprofit organization to provide cultural enrichment and educational enhancement of the highest quality for Central New Jersey residents.